Help! Fleas!!!!

I didn't see anyone say this yet, but it doesn't sound like flea bites. It sounds like bed bug bites instead -- especially if she woke up with them.

Oh, it's not always the four-legged animals that bring in the fleas! We have been working a month now to get rid of fleas in our house, and our cats are indoors, never go out pets. So yes, your house could very well have fleas, sorry. Look for tiny black specks, which are flea droppings. The eggs are pretty much invisible to the naked eye, as are the wormlike larvae. They attach to carpet fibers, so are hard to vacuum away. The larvae feed on the droppings. One adult flea can lay one egg an hour. Ick, I know, I have learned TOO MUCH about fleas this past month! Wash everything that came home with your daughter, and look for those droppings. I sincerely hope all she brought back was the bites. BTW, Preparation H works on bug bite itches and takes down any swelling. I have more luck with that than anything else.
Good luck!!!!

My first question is, are they really fleas? Could also be bedbugs or lice. It would be important to confirm the culprit before treating. Treatment for fleas would be very different from, eg, bedbugs. I would be a lot more worried about spreading bedbugs from house to house than fleas, for what it's worth.

I have done totally natural flea control in the past. . . before I had small children! It absolutely can be very effective (despite what people tell you), but you have to have a firm commitment and keep at it. Especially start early, don't wait till the problem is bad. The one chemical I do use sometimes is Frontline. I would recommend it for anyone who isn't motivated to work at flea control (ie, your ILs). If you control the fleas in the house and on the animals, you will not have a problem with the humans.

I wouldn't use bleach on the pack n play. I'm not sure it kills bugs, and might ruin the fabric. The borax suggested earlier would probably be a good choice, or maybe damp cloth with a few drops of eucalyptus, cedar, or tea tree oil sprinkled on it. I'd also add one of these oils to mop water or on a swiffer. I flea comb the cats daily and use a tea tree oil shampoo in the water. It kills the fleas in a few seconds. I'd be really surprised, though, if you end up with a problem in the pack n play from one overnight. Unless maybe a cat slept in it.

And I do think it would be entirely reasonable to keep your daughter from going to their house until you are confident the problem has been solved. It's your job to care for your daughter, not to make other people feel good. If that's an issue, I'd suggest they meet someplace else, or come over to your house. I wouldn't worry about humans bringing fleas, but wouldn't be so comfortable with some other types of bugs.

PM me if you want to know the details of natural flea control.

We've had an ongoing flea issue over the past couple of months due to the muggy, moist weather this summer. We have a Brother-in-law who is an exterminator and says it's been a horrible year for fleas. He's come to our house twice now, and I think the problem is finally gone. What happens is anytime you spray for fleas or bomb, you are killing the adult fleas, but not the eggs. However, the eggs do become sterile, but will still hatch, yet not reproduce. So it takes a little time for them to completely go away. Something that has worked nicely for us is borax powder. You sprinkle it on the carpet, work it into the carpet with a broom, and let it sit for a few days and then vacuum it up. It dries the fleas out, and is not harmful to anyone, as long as no one is ingesting it. So if you want to get some at Wal-Mart (it's less than $3.00 for a big box of it) and spread it around the pack and play in a safe room where your daughter won't get to it and possibly get it in her mouth, it should dry out any fleas, eggs, and larvae within a few days. No harsh chemicals, and very cheap. You can also wash your daughter's clothes in it, and can spread it around in your car and vacuum it up.

I, too, was the overly worried mama in our situation, because they were only biting me and no one else! My B.I.L said that it has to do with the pheromones women give off. They don't like men all that much. Also, if you think they might be in your house or car, you can get some Eucalyptus oil and rub it on your legs and your daughter's legs and they won't come near you. They HATE the smell. The legs are the first thing they come in contact with, so this will deter them from jumping on you.

If you do have pets and are worried that they might get fleas, DO NOT use anything made by Hartz! We almost killed our dog due to using their flea spray. I should've known better, but it was the weekend and the place we get our flea meds was closed. It did some nerve damage to her, and her face spasmed a little, and now she can't open her mouth all of the way. I found a lot of info online about how deadly Hartz products can be, and can't believe they're still on the market! Frontline Plus works the best out of all the flea medications. It actually does not get in their bloodstream, but in the oils in their skin and fur and spreads that way, and it's waterproof so you can still bathe them after 48 hours. So the flea DOES NOT have to bite them to die. They just have to come in contact with the fur and will die withing several minutes.

Hope your flea issue gets resolved quick!
Liz.

Relax ! It's a nasty problem, but nothing to get too worked up over.
First, for her bites .... use the same topical product you used on her teething gums. Baby Oragel, or Numzit, or whatever you use. It numbs the itch on contact to keep her comfortable. Beyond the itch, the bites won't harm her, and they'll go away soon.
Next ... Yes, they can "follow" you home and into your car. Call your vet for suggestions for a premise (home) spray for the car, or just go to a pet store and look through what they have. There are a lot of good products out there.) As another mom said, wash down everything that came home with her, though it's not necessary to disinfect things. Simply washing is good enough.
After that, vaccuum often. Our vet told us the number one best thing you can do to get rid of fleas is vaccuum your floors and upholstery at least once per day.
Now ........ relax ! Even homes without pets get fleas in the house, but you rarely notice them because for one thing, they have to have a warm blooded host to feed on. No food, no fleas. They really don't prefer human meals, so can't thrive without a pet in the home. And a person who vaccuums often is way ahead of the game as far as keeping them under control. You have probably had a flea or two in your home long before this, but never noticed due to these reasons.
The hard part will be getting your MIL to treat her house. I gaurentee this is not news to her, so if she has not treated her home and pets for fleas before now she is not likely to. I agree with the mom who said to go through your husband first, that may solve the problem if he lovingly tells her that the baby can't visit her again until they have those fleas under control. Some people are more bothered by fleas than most people, and your child seems to be one of them.
If she still won't treat, then you will have to be firm and not allow the baby over there. Also, vaccuum immediately after every visit to your home. You could then spray with a good premise spray, but personally I don't like the use of chemicals that much, and it really shouldn't be necessary if you vaccuumed well(Oh, also, you don't have to worry about changing the vaccuum bag EVERY time you use it. That could get expensive ! It would be the rare flea that could find his way all the way back through the hose, etc, to jump out of the vaccuum and terrorize your home a second time !)

Just vacuum and empty the vacuum outside. Also, wash all bedding in hot water. I would also wipe down the pack and play with something (maybe a bleach/water solution?) I've read that people bring in fleas just as much as pets. Let your MIL know that she needs to take care of the problem. Advantage flea prevention works great on pets. You can get it at the vet's office or 1800petmeds.com. Good luck.

Your poor daughter!!!!
I am one of those people that *everything* likes to eat, fleas, mosquitos, spiders, etc. And when it comes to flea bites I tend to have a mild reaction to them which makes all touch painful, especially when I try to scratch them when they itch. I feel so bad for your little girl.
You're definitely more calm than I would be, I would be ... livid ... if my kid came home with bug bites all over their body from a sleep over, especially one so young. When a mosquito bites my son he doesn't seem to know to scratch it (at 15 months), so I'm sure she's miserable if it doesn't occur to scratch them, and even if she does that probably doesn't feel too good either. If they noticed the bites did they apologize or say they're going to do something about it? If not I'm with the rest of the crowd in having hubby talk to them about it. I would *not* let her back in their house until they had a professional spray.
As far as the doctor thing goes... I wouldn't take her unless you're seeing something that makes you really worry (rash, the bumps look really irritated, the number of bites is appalling, she has a fever, or you're not really sure the bites are fleas).
And the OP are right about the fleas hitchhiking, definitely vacuum every thing and empty out your bag immediately. I'm not convinced washing things will get rid of live fleas or eggs without pesticide measures.

Tell your MIL to call an exterminator. They can rid her house of the fleas. To prevent reinfestation, she needs to treat her pets monthly. I use Revolution on my cats, which also rids the animal of other parasites. And have your husband tell his mother that you will not be returning to her home until she has taken all these measures to prevent this from happening again. I've had plenty of flea bites in my life from infestations at my own home and at one of our rental properties. They're annoying, but I've never had any serious issues develop because of the bites. I would be concerned about your daughter possibly having parasites now, though. I don't know how conventional doctors would treat that. My alternative doctor treated the parasites I got from fleas with a homeopathic remedy.

They are hard to get rid of. There might be more modern ways of exterminating now, but you used to have to have your house bombed. Leave for a while and have the exterminator have a slow spreading spray, much like a smoke bomb permiate the house. I think I would take the baby to the Dr. and I wouldn't bring in the pack and play until it is sprayed or washed down real well

You should be concerned and they should be concerned too. Take her to the doctor just to put your own mind at ease and to find a treatment for the bites. Yes, they are living in the pack-n-play in your car and everywhere...get them under control quickly.

I am so sorry the fleas bit your child. Any flea that bites a human dies. Our blood is deady to fleas. But the bites still itch. Go see the dr.if you are concerned. Your child may need some no itch cream.
Yes the pack-n-play can have flea eggs in it. Wash it with really hot water.

Flea and flea bites are a pain. They also bother some people and don't others. Ever since my husband and I started dating, he had dog, it had fleas and the fleas NEVER bit him, yet I was covered in bites. So, since they don't bother others in the house, you may have a hard time convincing them that there is something for them to deal with.

Fleas travel, they jump, they ride along, that's what they do. Washing things helps, but to be honest, for me, the only "solution" is chemicals. There are quite a few on the market, find one that also kills the eggs. If you don't do that, the eggs hatch and you start all over again.

I'm not a health care provider, but I don't think you need to take your child to the dr about the bites. However, watch that they don't get infected.

Okay. First, take a deep breath. Fleas need something to feed off of in order to survive. Do you have any pets? If so, you'll want to use a flea control product like Frontline on them. The fleas jump on and bite and die. Now, concerning your pack n play...you'll want to take all of the removable fabric parts off and wash them in warm water. You should take a vacuum to the rest of the pack n play. You should also wash any clothing that was at the in-laws too. If you are super paranoid, you could vacuum out your car, just to be on the safe side.

Now, we are assuming the bites are for certain fleas. I would take her to the doctor anyway to show him the bites and/or call the office and take to the nurse. They will recommend an age-appropriate topical cream for her to sooth the itch.

Now, as far as your in-laws. This is going to be as problem! In-laws are a pain in the toosh anyway, but now having to take the flea thing into your own hands is going to be difficult. I would suggest you let your spouse deal with his own parents in asserting that they MUST take care of this problem before your child is allowed to return to thier home. Tell them that the doctor says it is a MUST. (I always find it easier to blame the doctor!, plus it is more persuasive that way and they may begin to understand the importance of it this way).

There are companies that can treat their home for the fleas and I would certianly use one of them, becasue trying to do it on your own may be an effort in futility. I am speaking from experience!

We had a possum family get into our basement last year and it took us nearly 6 months to get rid of them and the flease they brought in. (we also have three pets though).

So, the company I finally found to be the most effecient was Terminix. They have a great warranty program and guarentee their work so that you know they will keep coming back until the fleas are gone.

Terminix will give you instructions on what needs to be done to prepare the house for treatment. It will sound something like this: vacuum all rugs, carpets, floors, wash all surfaces with cleaners. They will have to strip all the bedding and linens and wash them.

They will also have to vacuum once a day for ten-12 days following the treatment and will probably need to have another treatment as well.

Good luck....I know your pain!

HOnestly, You might want to have your hubby talk to her first. If that does no good, then tell her until she can gt it controlled and taken care of, your child will no t be having any over nighters. You have to think of your child, not your mother in law's feelings. She should understand, she 's a mother too.

Be careful what you use. Make sure it is safe for your child. Wash all fabrics that were over there, add clorox to the laundry. Other than that, you should be okay. Clean the play n pak thorougly. Don't go overboard with chemicals - too many people do this and poison their kids. Call a local poison control center to get advice on what to use.

Hello! I would probably take her to the pediatrician to make certain they are indeed fleas. Our daughter (8 years ago when she was in a great daycare center) came home with huge welts one day. My husband is a physician and he actually thought they were a more serious bite because of the reaction she had to them. They were huge, swollen and were pretty gross. Turns out, they were fleas! The center had a great playyard, and it was located in a residential neighborhood - where people would walk their pets. The center IMMEDIATELY (next morning) had the entire premises fumigated and there was never another problem with them. Flea bites can become easily infected so treat them with care so they will not scar if they are scratched. And yes, I would do something with that pack-n-play because fleas do like to travel just like people! In the mean time, I would refrain (best way you can) from visiting grandma's house anytime soon until you know their place has been treated. Touchy subject I'm sure...but best of luck to you.

Call your local vet and see if they carry Virbac. It's a household spray that kills adult fleas and their larvae. I used to work in a vet office and this stuff is the best!!
Make sure you follow the instructions, you can use it in your vehicle too!

Good luck!

are you sure they are flea bites. If so tell your mother in-law that frontline that you buy from a vet is the best she can use on her dog or cat. If there house is that infested with fleas they will need to treat it. I use to work for a vet and you can buy products at any vet. I would buy them from a vet and not at places like walmart or such. The flea drops that you buy from a store have been known to some pets to have a reaction and worse case the pet could die from. If she does not want to treat the problem then I would not let your daughter go there.

Yes to all your questions. Fleas can jump over 6 feet, and they enter the house by any carrier available: pets and humans. White clothing, socks, and sneakers excite and invite them right into the living room where they remain unseen and happily reproducing without your ever knowing until the problem is advanced.

The base I lived on when I was younger had a really bad flea problem and since we had inside/outside dogs it was hard to get rid of. First thing we did was make the dog outside only. But once we got it under control we could bring them in every once in a while and never got them again. Our secret weapon was Eucalyptus. I remember using eucalyptus oil to clean everything with. We put some in the washer with our clothes and put it in the carpet clean. After that we always had a little plant in the house and we never got them again.

So my suggestion would be to get plant put a couple leaves in her diaper bag and under the mat of the pack in play. I would also have a plant at your house just to be on the safe side.

About the flea bits unless they look nasty she should be fine. But if you are worried about it call your doctor and see if they are concerned enough to have you come in. Otherwise I remember getting bit and I was fine.

Yes, they could be in your car. My sister had a vaccuum that belonged to a friend in her car and the vaccuum had flees in it. They spread all in her car. It was terrible. I have heard that if you set out a pan of hot water, they jump in it. They are attracted to heat, so they jump in the warm water and can't get out. Otherwise, it would help to use spray.

Yes, they could very well be living in the pack-N-play, your car and the clothes she had on. You must treat your house and your car immediately with something safe or treat it while you and your daughter are gone one day. Tell them(in-laws) that they must treat for them or better yet, take them whatever you treat your house with. The smart thing would be to let your husband take it over so a feud doesn't begin. I would insist since flea bites can make your daughter sick plus the bites could get infected.

Good luck,
D.

OMG. We are fighting the battle. We had to treat our yard. We have had pro come to spray, we've bombed. still fleas. yes they can follow you home. we have had to treat our car too. yes treat your pack n play. or just leave it there. it is awful. if they dont start now they will be infest. even tho it sounds like they are worse than we are. I have never seen flea bites on any of my kids or myself or DH. so they have them bad. we dont even have carpet or a couch. Yikes for them. she needs to stay off the floor. which is hard for a 17 mos. sorry I really cant help. except to treat treat treat NOW. your daughter may be allergic to the flea bite maybe thats why you see the mark. IDK. good luck.

The vacuuming and washing all suggested should do it for your house. If you do get them in your car (probably unlikely) or your mother-in-law does want to use chemicals in her house or on her pets, you can get diatomaceous earth, it's safe (it's fossils ground into a powder) and kills fleas and lots of other insects (it dries them out and cuts them up inside and out because it is sharp little particles, but we can't tell). You can buy it in lawn and garden sections, of course be careful it doesn't have other additives like pesticides, but it usually shouldn't as it is sold as a natural treatment. It is a very fine powder though so you want to make sure no one is breathing it in. But I would feel much more comfortable about taking my toddlers to a house that hasn't been coated in pesticides to get rid of the fleas. Hopefully if you MIL can see the bites your daughter has gotten she will feel the need to treat her house, I'm with you, we wouldn't be going back until then. It's just hard to see your babies itchy and miserable!

put some campho phenique on her flea bites. It will help dry them up and also keeps them from itching. This also works for mosquito bites. I would vacuum the pack and play and wash it and make sure you empty the vacuum cleaner so they don't crawl back out into your carpet. Fleas are a pain. Maybe buy some frontline to put on your parents animals. It really does work and so far is the best product out there to keep fleas off the animals. As for getting them out of the carpets, they need to vacuum and use the flea powder stuff you put on carpets and furniture. There are probably some other suggestions on here but I didn't read through them.